Apr. 6, 2019
07:53 am JST

No wonder he cheated on his taxes or whatever the heck he did...just look at his apartment!

They obviously weren't paying him enough; poor guy is the CEO of a 600-lb gorilla and he's roughing it in a 2-LDK where his toothpaste freezes in the winter as he's sucking in carbon monoxide fumes, schlepping kerosene jugs up the stairs?

Apr. 5, 2019
05:53 pm JST

Apr. 5, 2019
08:03 am JST

See for example the recent story of a young US citizen being kept in jail for months now for basically no reason other than breaking a lamp. That does not happen in France.

The guy is also charged with assaulting a cop, not just breaking a lamp. Generally, in Japan if you cause property damage, you make restitution, say you are sorry, and you walk away. This applies to gaijin as well as Japanese. At least one Japan Times gaijin editor can testify to this.

I cannot speak to a French equivalent, but one example of "American justice" that even critics of Japan have had to acknowledge is the case of young American man who spent three years in jail, mostly in solitary confinement, with no charges being brought. After his release, he committed suicide.

I personally think that limits need to be placed on Japanese prosecutors but I also think that the Japanese treatment of Ghosn needs to be compared with the reality of countries like the US and France, not their ideals.

I would also note that the British document is based on the experience of British authorities in helping Brits busted in France. In other words, it is based on French reality, not French legal theory.

Apr. 4, 2019
04:40 pm JST

This is becoming a game of poker where the stake get higher and higher, The Japanese prosecutors are ramping up the charges, which raises the stakes, IF, they are right they win, if not they loose, but there is more than money at stake here, Mr Gosan and the prosecutors could win or loose a lot of reputation. This has become a international scandal, I am sure the prosecutors will want a solid conviction and they are confident that they will get one, but the world media is watching with great interest, if it goes wrong who knows what the backlash will be on Japan, will they be judged as being old fashioned, archaic judicial system, it could have an impact on investments as investors could think why should I invest in a so called backward thinking country, would I get any help? it could come across as its stacked all against any investors or business wanting to do business with Japan, is it a good safe bet? probably not, it all depends on the out come of the court trial.

Apr. 4, 2019
04:34 pm JST

This whole thing stinks to high heaven. Nissan loved G when they were broke and he was a savior. In fact, the auditor brought these issues to Nissan's attention early in his tenure and Nissan said to forget about it.

Only later when Renault was trying to take over Nissan were these issues (which he probably is guilty of) "suddenly discovered". Of course like any good corporate citizen, Nissan went straight to the police (excuse me while I *** myself laughing).

The cops thought 23 days in jail would break him. It didn't, so they re-arrested him 2 more times before he made bail, which is really rare in Japan. The entire justice system is predicated on getting the suspect to confess regardless of what the evidence says.

As to the new arrest, I think the Police and the Prosecutor are getting desperate. They didn't like it that he made bail. They really don't like criminal suspects giving press conferences and setting the narrative. So they have re-arrested him on a "new" charge to ether break him or shut him up.

Apr. 4, 2019
04:11 pm JST

Apr. 4, 2019
03:59 pm JST

There is a Japanese criminal law that covers "aggravated breach of trust"? Maybe so. Were these transactions executed in, or from Japan? Does Japan have standing? It isn't illegal to cause a company to lose money, and it happens all of the time.

Apr. 4, 2019
03:08 pm JST

@bullfighter

The document you refereed to is incomplete and does not constitute a full description of the French law in any shape or form. It just describes the general procedure associated with the temporary detention system and does not clarify that it is an exceptionalmeasure as I explained. In Japan temporary detention is not exceptional but rather is applied without rules in place to protect the defendant. See for example the recent story of a young US citizen being kept in jail for months now for basically no reason other than breaking a lamp. That does not happen in France. And in France as it is also written in the document you linked, a lawyer will have access to the judicial file and will be present at any appearances before the Examining Magistrate. This is not the case in Japan, so by definition your comparison between France and Japan makes no sense.

Apr. 4, 2019
03:04 pm JST

A mea culpa.

As regards the " third world " in my earlier post, I don't mean to imply that buying of freedom from justice by the rich or " First" world leaders twisting " third" world for favors is condoned. It's not, they don't like it and are appalled every time it happens, but it's a reality the world over that rich people are almost always judged by a different yardstick. " Third" world countries , too , do have their own shares of the good, the bad and the ugly, probably prone to abuse by the rich. In THIS instance, we have ALWAYS expected BETTER from a " First" world country that Japan ought and portrays itself to be.

Apr. 4, 2019
02:57 pm JST

All any of us want to know is the truth so obviously Ghosn should have just made a press release rather than warning he would do it. No reason his lawyer or his representative cannot do this on his behalf at any time though so bring it on.

Is against natural justice for Japanese police to keep these new charges in reserve. What else are they holding back? How many times can they do this?

How many times can a man be arrested? Or is he forever damned? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind...

Apr. 4, 2019
02:44 pm JST

Apr. 4, 2019
02:38 pm JST

@daito_hak

When you report something. be sure to be honest and report it correctly. I don't know about Brazil and Lebanon, but the above statement about France is utterly wrong. France has a system called in French "détention provisoire" which means temporary detention and which is an exceptional measure with variable duration. This is usually used for serious crimes with serious evidence and when for example releasing the person would constitute a danger for the society. There is no special regime for foreigners, the temporary detention applies equally to anyone regardless of being a foreigner or not, therefore it is used only exceptionally for foreigners too.

Here are the relevant paragraphs from the British government document. I think I have reported the content accurately. If something is incorrect, take it up with the British authorities. I didn’t write the document.

*If you are remanded in custody pending investigations, an Examining Magistrate (Juge d'Instruction) will be appointed for the duration of the investigations which he/she will conduct. The Examining Magistrate may question you from time to time during this remand period. Your lawyer will have access to the judicial file and will be present at any appearances before the Examining Magistrate as will an interpreter. You can be remanded for periods varying from 4 months to 12 months at a time according to the charges and the seriousness of the offence. These periods can be renewed at the request of the Examining Magistrate but have to be agreed to by another judge (juge des libertés et détention). *The period between arrest and trial is often quite long and can vary greatly. From our experience a prisoner can remain on remand up to 24 months.

*

What provision is there for bail?*

*French penal procedure may allow the person charged with an offence or under investigation to remain at liberty (liberté provisoire e.g. remanded on bail). However, *because of the difficulty of guaranteeing that the accused will present themself for further investigation and trial if they are not a resident of France, foreigners charged with an offence are almost invariably placed on remand.

*Applications for bail are also unlikely to be accepted in the case of a person who faces serious charges.* You may be able to obtain bail against a large cash deposit and/or on the condition of residing in France pending the investigation and trial.

Apr. 4, 2019
02:29 pm JST

Apr. 4, 2019
02:23 pm JST

According to British government advisories, the three countries where he holds citizenship (France, Brazil, and Lebanon) typical typically do not grant bail to foreign nationals. Those same advisories say foreign nationals will spend 24 months in pretrial detention in France, 18 months in Brazil, and as long as the authorities want to hold you in Lebanon.

When you report something. be sure to be honest and report it correctly. I don't know about Brazil and Lebanon, but the above statement about France is utterly wrong. France has a system called in French "détention provisoire" which means temporary detention and which is an exceptional measure with variable duration. This is usually used for serious crimes with serious evidence and when for example releasing the person would constitute a danger for the society. There is no special regime for foreigners, the temporary detention applies equally to anyone regardless of being a foreigner or not, therefore it is used only exceptionally for foreigners too. In any case, the rights of the defense is fully respected contrary what Japan does.

Now instead of using the fallacious argument which tells to people to look somewhere else, you better respond to the case in place, that is the Japanese system being manipulated by Nissan and not respecting Ghosn's rights.

Not true. There is much more to it than that.

> Renault SA and partner Nissan Motor Co. have uncovered payments made under Carlos Ghosn that allegedly went toward corporate jets, a yacht and his son’s startup, leading the French carmaker to alert authorities about potential wrongdoing, according to people familiar with the matter.

> The transactions at Renault, Nissan and their Amsterdam-based venture RNBV were revealed in probes and amounted to millions of euros to companies in Oman and Lebanon that may have then been used for the personal benefit of former head Ghosn and his family, said the people, who asked not be be named because the details aren’t public.

No, what you are referring to are first of all so far allegations. You also don't understand that even if the French prosecutor may have received an inquiry from Renault, they have not officially opened yet a formal investigation concerning the Oman allegations, which means that I am right.

Why are you getting so triggered and even responding to me then?

I am responding because precisely nobody cares that you have no sympathy for Ghosn, that's irrelevant to the matter.

He is guilty as hell and so happy today he is back in jail. Think I'll be happy for a decade at least too haha*

Yeah, yeah, you did not allow yourself to declare people guilty when Japanese executives or politicians were caught for their wrongdoings, so why are you doing that for him?

Apr. 4, 2019
02:15 pm JST

I can't imagine how a Japanese lawyer, judge, or police could be proud of their system.

I can tell you from my experience, most don't really care about justice and ethics since they are all bureaucrats part of the system. (not all lawyers - I have one who does fight for the human rights of non-Japanese and often at the immigration centers, but he is very special)

Apr. 4, 2019
12:43 pm JST

@goodlucktoyou: There are no 'plea-deals' in Japan. You can serve some of your sentence in your home country, but from application, which you can't file UNTIL you've served half your time has been take taking people on average another 3 years to get approved.

Apr. 4, 2019
12:30 pm JST

I take extreme offence to those saying Japanese justice system is like a third-world country. No !! besides " third world " being an econo- capitalistic construct, Ghosn would lo......ng have bought his freedom or have France lean on the " third- world" leader to release him and would now be enjoying himself in a paradise somewhere.

Japan just has an EVIL justice system especially when it comes in collision with foreigners. It's a system meant to DOMINATE or SUBJUGATE foreignness, affirm and sate their inate need for superiority. I know, I SHOULD know, I went through it in a Civil case. It was NOT civilized.

Apr. 4, 2019
12:29 pm JST

Ghosn has sent hundreds of millions of dollars to his family and overseas "friends" for vague reasons (like buying a boat). This is all money produced by low paid factory workers etc. We need to embrase socialism.

Apr. 4, 2019
12:21 pm JST

All we want is to see a FAIR trial, if the prosecutors have the evidence, by all means toss Ghosn in jail! But this system of forced confessions & forced detention with no lawyers etc is truly barbaric, I mean we see this in China, NKorea, Russia etc, why on earth does Japan want to be in that crowd...… and make no mistake Japan IS!

Some of us wish for BETTER from Japan, sadly its NOT happening & in fact getting worse over time...……...

Apr. 4, 2019
12:09 pm JST

This is the most draconian farce I've ever seen. He's being prosecuted in the court of public opinion with a one-sided story. One thing is for sure, I will never buy a NIssan as long as I live. This may have nothing to do with the quality of their cars but I won't give money to anybody who smears an innocent man.

Apr. 4, 2019
12:05 pm JST

I don't know whether he's innocent or guilty of the charges at hand, but the lack of transparency in Japan's legal system make it very difficult to find the truth in the whole matter. If this all goes to trial, I doubt it will be a fair one regardless of his actual guilt or innocence, so it's situations like this that Japan really needs to consider a proper jury system instead of the half-baked tatemae lay judge thing going on now.

Apr. 4, 2019
12:01 pm JST

Prosecutors are desperate for a conviction, to save face and their 99% record. Otherwise careers will stall, and transfers to remote offices will follow. The establishment fear a loss of their authority.

Apr. 4, 2019
11:56 am JST

Apr. 4, 2019
11:41 am JST

By defamation of Carlos, will decrease the stock price further so they can buy out the remaining shares. 7/11 Japan bought out the main US headquarters so now 7/11 is Japanese, how is it any different?

Apr. 4, 2019
11:10 am JST

Anyway, he really must have something shocking to say that they want to hide and arrested him again within LESS than 12 hours after his tweets.

He’s hired a set of hot shot lawyers. They can say anything that needs to be said. That’s what he is paying for.

Just an aside, but does he live in the building shown in the picture? That building was built in the 70s and it is hard to believe a billionaire would live there.

It has been reported that he had trouble finding a landlord who would rent to him.

To grant bail in the first place says foreigners are treated differently to locals, and for bail conditions to be so ambiguous just top off the tenuous nature of laws in Japan.

According to British government advisories, the three countries where he holds citizenship (France, Brazil, and Lebanon) typical typically do not grant bail to foreign nationals. Those same advisories say foreign nationals will spend 24 months in pretrial detention in France, 18 months in Brazil, and as long as the authorities want to hold you in Lebanon.

Even Renault is turning on him and the French are investigating him.

I am surprised that no one else has mentioned this. The BBC, Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg, CNBN, and others have all reported that Renault has turned over evidence of questionable activities by Ghosn to French authorities. Renault has also decided to terminate his pension.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47808730

The French prosecutor is at this time of writing only investigating the case of his wedding at Versailles which according to his lawyers in France, the matter is really not a big deal even if proven.

Not true. There is much more to it than that.

Renault SA and partner Nissan Motor Co. have uncovered payments made under Carlos Ghosn that allegedly went toward corporate jets, a yacht and his son’s startup, leading the French carmaker to alert authorities about potential wrongdoing, according to people familiar with the matter.

The transactions at Renault, Nissan and their Amsterdam-based venture RNBV were revealed in probes and amounted to millions of euros to companies in Oman and Lebanon that may have then been used for the personal benefit of former head Ghosn and his family, said the people, who asked not be be named because the details aren’t public.

Apr. 4, 2019
11:07 am JST

He is guilty as hell and so happy today he is back in jail. people just dont get it, if hes guilty as hell why has the trial started , prosecutors should have mountains of eveidence and dont even require a confession, should be a fast trial with the judge reading a guilty verdict.

did you come to this conclusion from all the leaked information by the J prosecutors to the media? these same prosecutors who have a history of manipulation evidence, forced confessions leading to false prison terms. Unless you have a direct phone number to the prosecutors office then it would seem youve concluded your information from these media leaks. LMFAO

Apr. 4, 2019
11:03 am JST

Agree with other posters here defending Ghosn's actions. He is not guilty because CEOs should be free to spend company money any way they see fit and do what they want. At least this is the case in more civilized countries in the West where CEOs are protected

Apr. 4, 2019
11:00 am JST

All most certainly guilty. If he confessed straight away, he could of already served 6 months of his jail time.

some people are so gullible, why should a person confess to crimes they didn't commit, "almost certainly" does not equal guilty, its the J prosecutors job to compile evidence to show 100% guilt, then a confession isnt required. Many Japanese have spent years in prison for crimes they didnt commit and in almost all cases it was the J prosecutors not doing their jobs correctly that stole those persons freedom and lives from them. Now imagine if it was one of your family members wonder if people would have so much blind faith in Japans justice system then. This isnt about Japan bashing its basic human rights

Apr. 4, 2019
10:43 am JST

Even Renault is turning on him and the French are investigating him.

The French prosecutor is at this time of writing only investigating the case of his wedding at Versailles which according to his lawyers in France, the matter is really not a big deal even if proven. Also an investigation does not mean he is guilty.

I have no sympathy whatsoever for the man.

Nobody cares about what is your sympathy for him.

Conspiracy theories of him being set up are ludicrous to say the least

That's not the point. Again the point is that he is being put in jail for arbitrary charges and without being proved guilty. It's amazing how people are avoiding the real issue just for the sake of blindly defending Japan.

thankfully the prosecutors here aren't that silly

Ah yeah, so for example what is your comment on them refusing to prosecute and charge the people involved in the Kake Gakuen scandal whose wrong doings have been actually proven? This is your double standard which is actually silly and ludicrous

Apr. 4, 2019
10:40 am JST

Arrested again just hours after scheduling a press conference: Japanese "justice" strikes again. The Japanese persecutors are happy to leak their partial and biased version of events to the media, but when Ghosn tries to respond they immediately lock him up.

Meanwhile, the former head of the Japanese Olympic Committee walks away from a corruption scandal: there is zero chance of him being arrested. Friends of Abe accused of rape are not allowed to be arrested. Bureaucrats sell off public land cheaply to Abe's mates and the prosecutors see nothing wrong: no arrests are made there either.

I think it's disgusting that the Japanese "justice" system completely ignores crimes committed by those connected to Abe, but they go after Ghosn like a pack of rabid dogs. It's a disgrace.

Apr. 4, 2019
10:40 am JST

I would want my 1 billion yen back pronto. With interest. Anyway, he is suspected of something else, not yet guilty, so it seems a bit over the top to drag you out of your home at 5 o’clock in the morning. Even Japanese lawyers think this additional arrest is way over the top. It was funny when the news show I was watching mentioned in closing “wonder how kaigai will be judging us once again over our judicial system, shinpai da”.

Apr. 4, 2019
10:39 am JST

The Tokyo prosecutors are emulating the Chinese secret police, the North Korean secret police and the Gestapo with a dash of vindictiveness and defensiveness characteristic of passive/aggressive behavior. Japan is really becoming a police state and their treatment of Ghosn is a bleak display of this jackboot behavior by the prosecutors. Of course, the French will do nothing about this. Ghosn's lawyers will speak out and they really need to go all in a la Saul Alinsky (wonder how many readers know about Alinsky) to isolate, divide and polarize individual prosecutors and police. So much for reiwa....

Apr. 4, 2019
10:37 am JST

All most certainly guilty. If he confessed straight away, he could of already served 6 months of his jail time. He is wasting everybodies time and his. He could of done a plea deal, spent 5 years here, then deported to France for another 5 years in prison. But his choice is 6 months on remand, 15 years in prison then deportation to France for another 5 years in prison. If I was super rich. I would go for the 10 year option then retire in my many multimillion dollar mansions and luxury cruisers.

Apr. 4, 2019
10:31 am JST

A little bit arbitrary. Why would the court release him in the first place ? Either Nissan has a much stronger case now, or the court made a huge mistake past. Ghosn is a victim, obviously, of the flip-flop. Hopefully, he is OK emotionally.

Apr. 4, 2019
10:30 am JST

Japanese prosecutors absolutely hate when people defy them and keep silent during interrogation, hate it with every single fiber of their body and also afraid, because if they wont get him atleast on something ,every and each exec prosecutor will be shamed and most likely demoted.at this point its about saving their legal career.

That said, this additional arrest simply means they dont think they are able to get the original charge stick 100% and he has quite good chance of getting innocent, so they try to get anything at all to stick... it would be very interesting to see what they can find illegal in using a fund that is legally under his discretion .

Apr. 4, 2019
10:26 am JST

I get the hostility toward the Japanese criminal justice system, but given its heavy-handed methods, it still doesn't mean that Ghosn is innocent of any of these crimes.

That's not the point. The point is that his rights of the defense and his rights of innocence until proven otherwise are not respected precisely because he is being kept in jail for an outrageous amount of time without being proved guilty. Why people can't understand that?

This new arrest did not come without any reason. It came under the action of Nissan pushing the prosecutors for it because they knew Ghosn wanted to talk publicly about the matter soon and they don't want that. This is disgraceful that prosecutors and the justice system can be manipulated like that.

Apr. 4, 2019
10:25 am JST

This is an internal matter that should have been dealt with by Nissan. Ghosn should never have been arrested in the first place. As Ghosn stated, this is only about keeping him quiet and not allowing him to hold a press conference. He is being railroaded by a kangaroo court system in a corporate coup. It's an absolutely disgusting situation that should not happen in a so-called 'modern' country.

Apr. 4, 2019
10:20 am JST

Even Renault is turning on him and the French are investigating him. I have no sympathy whatsoever for the man. Conspiracy theories of him being set up are ludicrous to say the least and thankfully the prosecutors here aren't that silly

Apr. 4, 2019
10:16 am JST

So by your own admission, they are kept out of the justice systemin the first place. That makes the rest of your post irrelevant.

Please read properly people post or stop pretending you don't understand. You should be understanding that I am precisely talking about the fact that Japanese justice system does not rely on rule of law but rather is directly influenced by external entities, the government being one of them. So that makes my post totally relevant and calling it irrelevant precisely shows that you don't have arguments to reply to it.

Apr. 4, 2019
09:48 am JST

I get the hostility toward the Japanese criminal justice system, but given its heavy-handed methods, it still doesn't mean that Ghosn is innocent of any of these crimes.

Yes but the hostility is not just about Ghosn's harsh treatment, I personally think the system is so flawed, Ghosn is already receiving relatively better treatment than what a local Japanese would receive. I also think, with his new celebrity attorney, he is likely to get off, ie found not guilty of charges.

Apr. 4, 2019
09:41 am JST

Apr. 4, 2019
09:35 am JST

The telling thing is at the initial arrest, a representative of the Prosecutors office gave a statement saying that other countries should respect the Japanese system? Why would you have to do that? Unless they know it's hardly a defensible argument. On average 30 years incarceration and its exposed the prisoner was innocent. Courts ruthlessly accept a confession after the defendant says it was forced. Carlos might have broken some laws he might not have, but you just can't trust the Japanese legal system to make a decision that involves truth.

Apr. 4, 2019
09:33 am JST

Absolutely ridiculous. Let's keep throwing more possibly trumped up charges against Ghosn to detain him again so he doesn't expose Nissan's internal issues.

Let the man speak. It may show that he was complicit to some extent with orchestrating his compensation, but it definitely will expose Nissan's hand in all of it as well. Oh, we can't have that, can we. What a farce.

Apr. 4, 2019
09:30 am JST

Apr. 4, 2019
09:30 am JST

I get the hostility toward the Japanese criminal justice system, but given its heavy-handed methods, it still doesn't mean that Ghosn is innocent of any of these crimes. He's being charged with funneling a massive amount of money from the company to his family. Sounds like something that needs to be investigated to me.

Apr. 4, 2019
09:14 am JST

NHK reported yesterday that he was allowed to use the Internet, as long as it was from a computer at his lawyer's office.

Also, well-known public figures usually don't post their own messages on Twitter -- they have a staffer or somebody do it for them. Nothing in Ghosn's bail terms prohibited him from having someone post Twitter messages on his behalf.

And "violating the terms of his bail" was not given as the reason for his arrest.

He was arrested on fresh charges -- not for bail condition violations.

Apr. 4, 2019
08:58 am JST

The only issue worth noting about the Japanese justice system is that it's a farce. To grant bail in the first place says foreigners are treated differently to locals, and for bail conditions to be so ambiguous just top off the tenuous nature of laws in Japan. AND, for the defendant to declare publicly, prior to trial, his intention to clear his name via the internet, makes a complete mockery of the court.

Even if Ghosn lose, he's managed to destroy the integrity of the Japanese justice system, and my guess is he is probably ROTFL.

Apr. 4, 2019
08:52 am JST

@'WISDOM'

Read the news properly - Nothing to do with the Twitter post. That was made on his behalf. These are further 'charges' referring to some 'payments' in Oman. Probably a load of old tosh - but nevertheless. Totally embarrassing for the legal system to do this however...and yes probably bought about by the announcement of a press conference. But he has most definitely not violated his bail conditions.

Yes - he has been staying in that apartment as Nissan terminated the lease in the Mushroom Building in Azabu. I love close by and see the press camped out.

Apr. 4, 2019
08:47 am JST

Apr. 4, 2019
08:47 am JST

Who predicted it? SmithinJapan? Anyway, he really must have something shocking to say that they want to hide and arrested him again within LESS than 12 hours after his tweets. I hope he made tons of videos with his side of the story. And more outrage needed.

Apr. 4, 2019
08:34 am JST

Apr. 4, 2019
08:26 am JST

Announce a press conference to defend yourself against prosecutors innuendo and leaks. And get arrested again within hours. So the mear mention of defending yourself gets you arrested. Prosecutors are doubleling down on exposing their distance from lady justice. Medieval barely expresses the backwards system and those who simply follow orders, as its their best excuse for partaking in an unjust system.

Apr. 4, 2019
08:18 am JST

What a disgusting farce all this is. The so called "prosecutors" just want to stop Ghosn telling the truth to the world at the press conference. This case makes Japan look so bad and just like a 3rd world country.

And yes as I said when this farce started, he should just have escaped from Japan to a country with no extradition treaty. With his wealth it would have been easy to arrange his escape. He is never going to get any justice in Japan who just have to send him away for many years to save face.

Apr. 4, 2019
08:14 am JST

Apr. 4, 2019
08:08 am JST

I tell you, Twitter has gotten more public-eye people in trouble than not! Trump’s continued folly, Trudeau’s comments regarding Saudi, Musk and his stock comments, and the list goes on. And now Ghosn. Don’t uber-wealthy people learn from others’ errors? Sheesh!